In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Carlee Alm-LaBar and Kevin Blanchard, former city staff members in Lafayette, Louisiana. Carlee is now Strong Towns’ chief of staff, while Kevin is CEO of the nonprofit Downtown Lafayette, which promotes infrastructure development and business revitalization.
Carlee and Kevin discuss the challenges of balancing competing demands and priorities when working in local government, particularly when trying to make smarter financial decisions. They also share recommendations for how local governments and residents can work together constructively.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to get to the bottom of your city’s finances.
Kevin Blanchard (LinkedIn)
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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53:00
3 Reasons This Is a Great Time for Walkable Streets
In this episode, Chuck explains why our current situation, though tense, actually presents a great opportunity for advocates of street safety, walkability, and bikeability. He then lays out a number of common misconceptions and errors that advocates will have to avoid if they want to take advantage of this opportunity.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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48:57
Road Design Creates Aggressive Drivers. We Can Fix That.
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck discusses how the design of an environment affects people psychologically. He explores how cities can use that knowledge to make streets safer, using a crash in Hyattsville, Maryland, as an example.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Get the full crash report from Hyattsville, Maryland.
Learn more about the Crash Analysis model.
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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1:17:15
Mark Moses: How To Understand and Fix Government Budgeting
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck is joined by Mark Moses, author of “The Municipal Financial Crisis: A Framework for Understanding and Fixing Government Budgeting.” Up for discussion today:
The dangers of relying on “balanced budgets."
The difference between city and business finances.
The issues with privatization and regionalization.
And more!
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Download the Strong Towns Finance Decoder to uncover the truth about your city’s finances.
Connect with Mark Moses:
X/Twitter
Website
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
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1:02:47
We Need a New Approach to Road Safety and Design
In this episode of the Strong Towns Podcast, Chuck shares a keynote speech he gave at a statewide transportation conference in Kansas. He discusses the limitations of traditional traffic safety techniques and the consequences of designing high-speed roads through cities and towns, both in terms of safety and finance.
ADDITIONAL SHOW NOTES
Chuck Marohn (Substack)
USA